It has been thirteen seasons since Outlaw fans have seen a team touch the .500 mark, and not in the good way. I'm not certain that number is going to make it to fourteen years, but I'm not certain it won't. Either way, I think we are witnessing the end of the Long San Antonio Nightmare. By that I mean that if the Outlaws were an old movie, it would be Casablanca. They are going to win. Maybe not big yet, and maybe not this year, but soon.
Very soon.
Youthful lefty Cesar Franco grew up into a reliable starter in 2061. Fellow youth Greg White will join him at the top of the rotation. And they'll get some help from the acquisitions of veterans Barney Lindsay and Greg Shaw, who one hopes has a little left in the tank. There are a couple options for the #5 slot, which the team probably hopes goes to 21-year-old Jesus Perez, who will still be recovering from a ruptured disc at the calendar turns to Opening Day. The bullpen is not deep, but it got a shot in the arm by that addition of Adrian Fox and would be helped out if a couple guys who started last year can slot down into the later innings. Regardless, Steve McFarland isn't the sexiest closer in the league, and he had a pretty horrible time last year. But a bounceback seems possible.
It adds up to say that pitching is not going to be dazzling but it should be at least as solid as it was last yearwhich was about league averageand could wind up taking a step up.
The real good news, however, should come from the young bats who are finally starting to arrive. The Outlaws' offense was tepid last year. No. It was less than tepid. They scored 749 runs in the most offensive-minded division in the league, which was only good enough for 14th of 16. And that was with aging center fielder Hector Cano having a happily resurgent 3.8 WAR season.
Not good.
Cano is back for the last year of his contract. Which is, hopefully good.
21-year-old Romanian bopper Herkeemer Homolka is probably a year off, but he might show up for good later this year. If he does, well, that's a big bat. He would join fellow 21-year-olds in catcher Ralph Green and outfielder George Stickler (2059 #1), both of whom could use another season in the minors, but both of whom could be here soon...very soon. In the meantime, the rest of 2062's lineup is going to be made up of piece parts. Guys who can play a little, but don't make you heart go pitter-patter. Guys like corner outfielder Shoin Yoshida, whose "swing hard, you might hit something" approach will probably play better in 2063 when more folks are on base than it did last year, and will this year. In the meantime, pencil him in for 2 WAR, give or take. Same thing for fellow corner Chester Lawrence.
Now, before you accuse me of painting too rosy of a picture, let me state directly.
I don't think we'll be seeing the Outlaws at the top of the table right off.
They won 68 games last year. I'm thinking the over/under is probably 75 this year.
But it's time to watch GM Tim Meseck's team again, because this first little wave of players that are arriving either later this year or early next is just that, a first little wave.
And that means that while 2062 is most likely going to continue the string of sub-.500 seasons that team fans are going to endure the horizon is at least lightening. 2063, 2064, and 2065 should each see a new little wave, and with even a little dev luck that uncompetitive streak will be a thing of the past.
Yes, Louis, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
